Catalyst

About Catalyst

Sundance Institute’s Catalyst program builds a culture of partnership between independent investors and filmmakers. Each year, we endeavor to unlock funding for ambitious new independent films and to grow the community of indie-film supporters.

Catalyst brings together both new and experienced film investors through highly curated film financing opportunities, custom programming, and engagement with the Sundance Institute community. We offer new investors a guided entry into film financing, and we present our entire cohort with exceptional projects, intimate discussions about various aspects of the film business, and personalized support in sourcing projects and developing partnerships with filmmakers.

We train selected filmmakers to effectively present their films for independent financing, and we provide them with continued support throughout the lives of their projects. We also offer Catalyst artists guidance in building successful investor relationships, access to mentorship, and critical project and budgetary feedback. Applications are solicited by invitation only.

Our year-round program includes strategy workshops, artist and industry talks, social events, bespoke film financing opportunities, and the signature Catalyst Forum, which features a curated slate of projects seeking funds. Since its founding in 2013, over $35 million has been raised to support 102 fiction and nonfiction films through Catalyst.

Catalyst Forum Project Criteria

Catalyst Forum (September 2021) is an invitation-only opportunity for feature-length fiction and nonfiction film projects that meet the following criteria:

Projects with at least one member of the above-the-line team who is a Sundance Institute alumni will be given strong preference. Sundance alumni status includes having taken a project through a Sundance Institute lab, fund, or fellowship, or having exhibited prior work at the Sundance Film Festival.
We prefer projects that have at least one US-based member of the above-the-line team, but we will also consider international applicants.
Projects must have a strong producer with at least one feature credit attached. A producer and the director from each project must present together at Catalyst Forum.
Project budgets must not exceed $3,000,000 USD, and budget gaps may not be smaller than $250,000 USD. Exceptions may be made on a limited and case-by-case basis.
Projects must have a budget gap and be open to equity investments and/or granting contributions from multiple individual investors as part of their financing plan. Projects with partial financing in place are welcome and encouraged to apply.
Projects must have preliminary financing plans and be ready to actively engage with financiers. This includes having structures in place to accept funding by the time of the Catalyst Forum, such as a fiscal sponsor or LLC.
Fiction only: Projects must have a script in advanced development. Films that have tangible components in place, like a production start date or cast and crew attachments, tend to unlock more funding.
Nonfiction only: Projects can be in any phase of production—including development, pre-production, production, and post-production—but must have sample footage to share.
Projects must feature compelling, original subject matter and a distinctive directorial vision.
Resubmissions are permitted if a major element has changed.
Multiple submissions from the same team are discouraged.

Filmmaker Deliverables

If selected, filmmakers will collaborate with the Catalyst team and expert advisors through a rigorous preparations process during the weeks leading up to Catalyst Forum in the following ways:

Further developing a viable financing plan, including full project budget, recoupment waterfall, and crediting tiers.
Preparing and rehearsing a live project presentation led by the director and producer that includes the project’s story, footage or still images (if applicable), budget and financing overview, and distribution and outreach plan.
Creating a designed project deck to circulate to investors.
Building a detailed communications plan to engage with interested and committed investors post-forum.

Applications & Timeline

Catalyst applications are solicited by invitation only. When applying, you will be asked to upload your script (for fiction projects) or supply footage (for nonfiction projects), key team bios, budget total, financing raised and sought, production timeline, and links to previous work, among other key materials.

Application Timeline

March–May 2021—Application period
July 2021—Projects selected
July–September 2021—Filmmaker preparations
September 2021—Catalyst Forum

Application Overview

Details on team member(s) who are Sundance alumni
Key team contact information & bios (~250 words each)
Links to previous work (if applicable)
Details on cast, key crew, lawyer, and sales agent attachments to date (and their most notable credits)
Basic project information (title, logline, 500-750 word synopsis, project status, timeline)
Budget details (total, full line-item budget, detailed breakdown of financing already raised)
Short answer questions for both fiction and nonfiction submissions will ask for director's and producer's statements (~500-750 words each) as well as details on finance strategy, marketing and distribution strategy, and intended audience (~250 words each)
Nonfiction only questions: summary of film topic (~500-750 words)
Nonfiction only: Footage from submitted project (~5 minutes, 1-2 scenes, not a trailer/sizzle)
Fiction only: Full script PDF upload
Optional additional assets (e.g., deck) - no penalty if this is not included

Finalists

Finalists for the 2021 Catalyst Forum will be contacted for video interviews with the Catalyst team in July and may be required to submit additional materials, including details on basic film financing terms.

Past Catalyst Projects

Learn more about our slate of completed Catalyst films below.